Potato and Onion Bajjis (Fritter) Recipe

Deep frying in oil till golden brown doesn’t happen often in my kitchen…..in fact it wont ever if i can manage…. but sometimes….i grow weak and give in…..mostly fall prey to the excitement deep frying generates for K …. so after a rather dismal week in the kitchen, as we sat on our balcony yesterday and sipped chai while we chatted this happened …..

suddenly possessed i asked k “would you like to eat some bajjis?”

he couldnt believe i was saying this….and said “would love to….but that would be too much oil na…. you dont like to fry”

sanity quickly came back to me and i said “yeah…forget it….i dont know what i was thinking…..”

k gingerly “but i cant remember the last time we had bajjis…i think it was last year…sometime”

me: “sometime last year? are you sure it was so long back? then maybe a little frying wont kill me”

k relieved….and happy….looks at me and says “ok whatever….. but yes it will be nice”

me: “ok now i have to make the bajjis….can you come into the kitchen so we can talk as i do it?”

k: “ok…sure”……..smiles

so that’s how it happened…..and after we devoured some piping hot ones with ketchup…. (i didnt have the patience to make chutney….was practically salivating into the hot kadhai) i didnt feel as guilty as i thought i would….back in august, there was this party going on which i couldnt be part of…..see how much it affected me!! maybe i was trying to make up for not being able to party with the batata vada people….. whatever the reason….we loved and enjoyed this treat…..

wash, peel and slice the potatoes and onion and set aside. mix together the rest of the ingredients to form a thick batter. it should be thinner than pancake batter. make sure it is lump free. set aside for 5 mins.

line a plate with 3-4 layers of absorbent paper.

in a heavy bottom open pan (kadhai or wok) heat about 2 1/2 inches of vegetable oil. drop a tiny bit of the batter to test if it is hot enough, it should bubble and the batter should immediately spring back to the surface and sizzle.

reduce the heat and gently (be very careful) dip the slices of vegetable in the batter, coating well and drop it into the hot oil. depending on the size of the vessel, put in 5-6 of them at a time, leaving enough space to turn them around.

the onion slices may separate while being coated with batter, this is absolutely fine and makes for a crisper bajji.

These look really tasty, I like the many savory ingredients you used. I would love to feature this recipe on our Demy, the first and only digital recipe reader. Please email me at sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if you’re interested. Thanks :)

@ Sig: ssshhh dont say that it wont kill…..have you seen what my hips look like?

@ Divya: thanks !!

@ Pavani: thank you for dropping by

@ Alka: rains and bajjis are a marriage made in heaven

@ Happy Cook: Once a week!! i am coming over!!

@ Mansi: i too am partial to onion

@ Anjali: Thank you

@ Priyanka: they surely can comfort anyone…

@ Sandhiya: yes…a year…and K was doing the counting!!

@ Anita: we are consuming the prescribed amount….or more than i think….do you know we’re self respecting southies who will down gunpowder and oil by the kilo? them chocolates wont be as enticing once you do it professionally…ghar ki murgi….enjoy the pooris and Vijay Dashmi!!

@ Bhawana: once they’re made….i cant eat less!!

@ Aditi: hey!! thanks for stopping by…yeah at times i survived on those mirchi bajjis and that awesome chutney….by far the best i have tasted

You need to fry more often! You do know that healthy people need to consume 25-30gms of fat daily! Given how conscious we are of our fat intake most times, this leaves ample room for occasional deep frying! [Them chocolates have fat too!]
So you can do this, guilt free, more often than you think!
It has been a good bhajji season this end of the country…
I have decided to fry some pooris tomorrow – you know Vijay Dashmi and all that. :D

Wow wished that frying would have been the healthiest way of cooking…..imagine that eating bhajis and crispy fried things would have been declared as healthy food eating habits….wht a wonderful place this world would be then???
Jokes apart ..i just want to make this ASAP with the rains bidding goodbye(those last days of pitter patter with thunderstorms…wow)i need to enjoy these bahjis with a cup of hot tea before the monsoon magic disappear!